October 6, 2007Blackwater or Bloodwater? The New World Order’s New World Military.

By Joe RathbunA sign at the entrance to Blackwater USA, in Moyock N.C., is shown in this Jan. 23, 2007, file photo. The Interior Ministry said Monday Sept. 17, 2007 that it was pulling the license of Blackwater USA, a security firm allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of civilians during an attack on a U.S. State Department motorcade in Baghdad. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said eight people were killed and 13 were wounded when security contractors working for Blackwater USA opened fire in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood of western Baghdad. (AP Photo/The Daily Advance, Joon Powell)

STOP BLACKWATER FROM BUILDING A COMPOUND IN CALIFORNIA! (SEE CONCLUSION FOR DETAILS)

Blackwater: Water that contains animal, human, or food waste; any of several human or animal diseases characterized by dark urine resulting from rapid breakdown of red blood cells. (How fitting and I think they know it.)The “John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007” (H.R. 5122), which was signed into law by President Bush in October 2006, seriously weakens two bulwarks of liberty–the Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act of 1807–by expanding the power of the president to declare martial law and use troops as a domestic police force in response to a “public emergency” or any “other condition”; and Blackwater troops (which were deployed domestically in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina) or other private mercenary and paramilitary forces pose a severe threat to the civil liberties of the American people and now could be deployed to quell public dissent, put down popular uprisings, or even to stop opposing points of view through intimidation or outright force.- Todd Beeton

The Army In The Shadows

Blackwater USA is the most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world.

Blackwater USA comprises nine separate business units to offer the most comprehensive professional security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world.

The NEW face of Democracy

VISION
To support security, peace, freedom, and democracy everywhere.MISSION
To support national and international security policies that protect those who are defenseless and provide a free voice for all with a dedication to providing ethical, efficient, and effective turnkeysolutions that positively impact the lives of those still caught in desperate times.Blackwater is committed to the foot soldiers — the men and women who stand on the frontlines of the global war on terror and who believe in a peaceful future for their communities and nations. Whether serving in or out of uniform, Blackwater is committed to providing these men and women with the very best in training and tactical support to ensure they are fully prepared to meet current and future global security challenges.- Blackwater USA website

I didn’t know everyone wanted their kind of democracy.

Turnkey solutions? Turnkey: (1) A person who has charge of the keys of a prison, for opening and fastening the doors; a warder. (2)(Dentistry) An instrument with a hinged claw, — used for extracting teeth with a twist. (3) Of or pertaining to a building, complex device, system, or industrial installation which is sold by a contractor only after it is ready for immediate occupation or use; fully functional and ready for use; — used of complex systems of a type which often require preparation or installation by the user before being capable of functioning as intended.

I wonder which one they mean? They all sound pretty bad to me. Jailer, pulling teeth, occupation….

They say “frontlines”. I thought they were back-up, security guards, cooks and dishwashers….that’s what they tell us.

Their mission statement sounds familiar. Sounds like Bush’s “mission accomplished” statement. Did Bush jump the gun? Did he put to much stock in Blackwater and their “statements”?

How about the laws regarding them. I wonder if he knows about that? Let’s see what he said to a student at Johns Hopkins in April of 2006 as reported by the Virginian-Pilot:

The issue of accountability for private military contractors has stumped many experts – including the U.S. commander in chief.During a Q&A session at Johns Hopkins University in April, a student raised the subject with President Bush. A transcript of the exchange, taken from the White House Web site:

Student: My question is in regards to private military contractors. Uniform Code of Military Justice does not apply to these contractors in Iraq. I asked your Secretary of Defense a couple months ago what law governs their actions. Bush: I was going to ask him. Go ahead. (laughter) Help. (laughter)

Student: I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. (laughter) Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against – over our American military contractors. I would submit to you that in this case, this is one case that privatization is not a solution. And, Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law?Bush: I appreciate that very much. I wasn’t kidding – (laughter) I was going to – I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, I’ve got an interesting question. (laughter) This is what delegation – I don’t mean to be dodging the question, although it’s kind of convenient in this case, but never – (laughter) I really will – I’m going to call the Secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? That’s how I work. I’m – thanks. (laughter)

Nope. Doesn’t seem like he knows much about that either. Well maybe it’s no big deal right? They probably don’t have much hardware. A couple of 9mm’s, I mean, they’re just security guards right? Well let’s take a look at what they have.

The Hardware

BUSA “Grizzly” APCGrizzly APC

The leader in the high-threat security industry, Blackwater incorporates real-world lessons learned on the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan into all of our operations. Now, we’ve gone one step further.Blackwater presents the GRIZZLY™ – the world’s only Armored Personnel Carrier intended to counter the most lethal threats in the modern urban combat environment.

The GRIZZLY™ incorporates the Blackwater High Threat Armor Protection System TM (patent pending). This state-of-the-art technology is an exceptional armor system unmatched in the urban APC market. The Blackwater High Threat Armor Protection System is engineered to defeat projectiles up to .50 caliber and to provide an IED-survivable envelope.

We are committed to manufacturing excellence. We are dedicated to your safety in the field. – Blackwater USA websiteThis sure doesn’t look like the under-armored junk the military use. Of course, our military doesn’t have multi-billion dollar corporations backing it up, even though our government does.

Blackwater target systemBlackwater Target Systems

Welcome to Blackwater Target Systems, where we provide solutions for training and tactical challenges to the world’s law enforcement and military professionals,federal agencies and to civilian shooters. Our patent-pending “BEAR” system, “BEAR Trap” bullet containment system, and our “BEAR’s Den” Modular Shoot-House are the most innovative steel training solutions on the market, and supply the foundation to our indoor and outdoor range designs.

Our Chief Design Officer and Vice President of Facilities, spent 15 years designing, constructing, and maintaining the U.S. Navy’s most comprehensive and sophisticated ranges at Naval Special Warfare Development Group at Dam Neck, VA. From our “small steel” to our sophisticated movers, turners and modular shoot houses, he has lead the way in developing durable, practical, and cost-effective solutions.
This is what we do… And we do it very well.

“Train hard, or don’t train at all.”– Blackwater USA websiteHere are a few more facts about the “target systems” they have on their compound in Moyock, N.C., as reported in the Virginian-Pilot:

40 gun ranges: 8 have computerized or interactive target systems; one is 1,200 yards long, or 12 football fieldsR.U. Ready High School: police train at this 14,746 square-foot, multi-level mock school built after the Columbine shootings

Make-believe town: Half-a dozen or so plywood structures recreate urban-type terrain – an apartment building, church, warehouse. Blackwater has plans to build a 30-acre city that can be reconfigured to mimic any urban area.Ship trainers: two mock ships launch on a cable onto a 15-acre lake

Shoot houses: 2 live-fire, multi-level, steel houses with changable roomsBreaching facility: features areas for learning how to cut through fences, torch ship hatches, blow down doors and defeat locks.A High School and make-believe town (Anywhere,USA). This stuff is scary. Why in the world does a “security firm” need this stuff? They claim they use it to train our law enforcement and military. So I ask, are they training our guys or theirs? Here’s an excerpt from an article by Barry Yeoman:
BUSA mercs

At a remote tactical training camp, in a swamp 25 miles from the world’s largest naval base, six U.S. sailors are gearing up for their part in President Bush’s war on terrorism. Dressed in camouflage on a January afternoon, they wear protective masks and carry nine-millimeter Berettas that fire nonlethal bullets filled with colored soap. Their mission: recapture a ship — actually a three-story-high model constructed of gray steel cargo containers — from armed hijackers.

The men approach the front of the vessel in formation, weapons drawn, then silently walk the length of the ship. Suddenly, as they turn the corner, two “terrorists” spring out from behind a plywood barricade and storm the sailors, guns blazing. The trainees, who have instinctively crowded together, prove easy pickings: Though they outnumber their enemy 3-to-1, every one of them gets hit. They return from the ambush with heads hung, covered in pink dye.

“You had people hiding behind their teammates!” barks their instructor, Tony Torres, a compact man with freckles and salt-and-pepper hair. “That’s as shameful a thing as I can think of. That’s fucked up. That’s just fucked up.” When approaching a “bad guy,” Torres reminds them, a unit must move aggressively, fanning out to divert the terrorists’ attention. “You guys need to get your shit together,” he scolds. “There’s not a lot of cover in this structure. The only thing to do is move toward your threat.”

The men listen attentively. They know that Torres, a Navy vet, honed his skills during nine years in the service, performing search-and-rescue operations and providing nuclear-weapons security. But Torres no longer works for the military. These days he is an employee of Blackwater USA, a private company that contracts with the U.S. armed forces to train soldiers and guard government buildings around the world. Every day, the Navy sends chartered buses full of trainees from Naval Station Norfolk to the company’s 5,200-acre facility in Moyock, North Carolina. Last fall, Blackwater signed a $35.7 million contract with the Pentagon to train more than 10,000 sailors from Virginia, Texas, and California each year in “force protection.” Other contracts are so secret, says Blackwater president Gary Jackson, that he can’t tell one federal agency about the business he’s doing with another. – Barry Yeoman, Mother Jones Magazine

You have got to be kidding me! 3-1! These mercs are good. If our guys were half as good, Iraq would be a cake walk. It sure seems to me that Blackwater uses our guys for target practice, not training! So why the school, why the interchangeable city? If our sailors can’t overcome 2 mercs when they have 6 what do they need a whole city for? I know…..us.

So now let’s see if Orwell was a prophet. Oceana here we are.

Blackwater Orwellian BlimpAirships

Blackwater Airships LLC was established in January 2006 as the newest Blackwater venture — with a mission to build a remotely piloted airship vehicle (RPAV). Although seemingly different from the traditional Blackwater mission, this new venture to provide a persistent surveillance capability is fully consistent with the Blackwater goal of offering solutions which help to protect our forces wherever they are deployed and support our homeland security.

The Blackwater Airships team completed design work at the end of 2006 and is now building the Polar 400 airship. This highly capable RPAV will provide a platform ready to accomodate a wide variety of state-of-the-art surveillance, communications and detection equipment that can record and store events and downlink them in real-time to ground operators. The make-up of the mission payload of up to 400 lbs will be determined by customer requirements — whether for combat areas, port or border security, or coastal patrol.

The prototype Polar 400 is completing propulsion ground tests and when fully assembled will undergo test flights and then move into production by mid-year 2007. Following successful demonstration flights, Blackwater Airships will begin selling or leasing airships to Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and other government customers. The Polar 400 is designed to operate for 48 to 60 hours at altitudes from 5,000 to 15,000 feet. The unique design of the RPAV propulsion system will give it the capability to loiter over a desired location with excellent low-speed maneuverability, along with an ability to fly at up to 50 knots to move quickly to and from a target area.– Blackwater USA website

Well folks. I guess Mr. Orwell was right. “Seemingly different”? Well I’d say so Inspector Gadget! Needed you say? In the name of “border security”. Well here is an excerpt from an article from Mother Jones Magazine:

They provide armed guards at a U.S. Army base in Qatar, and they use live ammunition to train soldiers at Camp Doha in Kuwait, where a contractor, whose company ran a computer system that tracks soldiers in the field, was killed by terrorists last January. They also maintain an array of weapons systems vital to an invasion of Iraq, including the B-2 bomber, F-117 stealth fighter, Apache helicopter, KC-10 refueling tanker, U-2 reconnaissance plane, and the unmanned Global Hawk reconnaissance unit.

So if you don’t think it’s going to be used on us, why do they lie about the numbers if they have a computer system that can track soldiers on a battle field! They’re running around trying to hide! We’ll be sitting sheep! Same technology as a military unit. Hmmm. Wake up! It’s 1984! There is probably one of these things over your house right now! Tracking your movements, setting up their make-believe city to look just like yours! They’re using your money to spy on you “real-time” now by leasing these things to your government. Security, right. No thanks. And the list goes on…..and on…..and on.

BUSA MaritimeMARITIME

BMSS will also provide international anti and counter-piracy, and anti and counter-terrorism security programs led by the world’s finest maritime special operations and security professionals. BMSS will soon offer its complete tactical maritime security training services aboard fully operational maritime platforms. This capability allows BMSS to conduct real-world tactical training for maritime force protection units while underway, at anchor, or in port.

Heading this new service is Captain Tom Ridenour, Director of Maritime Operations for Blackwater. Captain Tom is a certified U. S. Coast Guard Captain and instructor. He brings with him over 25 years of international maritime experience.– Blackwater USA website

THEY HAVE YOU COVERED BY LAND, SEA AND……

BUSA heliAviation Worldwide Services and Presidential Airways

Whether you are moving cargo, passengers, or need a specialized aviation package, we can offer a tailor-made, competitive solution for your aviation requirements. For example, Presidential Airways currently operate CASA 212s in support of military freefall and static-line parachute operations, and cargo/personnel lift requirements for the U.S. Special Operations Command.

All operations are conducted by Presidential Airways. – BUSA website

And they have their own para-troopers as well. But they’re only “security”. What about K-9? That too. And they have their own mission statement as well:

BUSA K-9BLACKWATER K9

MISSION STATEMENTUtilizing a wealth of exceptional experience Blackwater Canine will provide and execute the finest security services and solutions for our customers in support of Law Enforcement, Military and Commercial Organizations that strive for the leading edge worldwide.

The training staff is comprised of seasoned law enforcement K-9 trainers and handlers offering a total 110 years of combined K-9 experience. Managers of the training staff are all certified Master Trainers by the North American Police Work Dog Association or the Virginia Police Work Dog Association.Blackwater dogs go through an extensive testing, training and certification process. They must they be able to perform the mission they are trained for while of operating in diverse and sometimes hostile environments yet possess the ability to function socially among people.

Pseudo scent training aids are not used. Utilizing actual scent compounds. Explosive Detector Dogs must be capable of detecting a broad range of explosives which include but are not limited to black powder, smokeless powder, dynamite, C-4 or Flex-X, TNT, military dynamite, primer (DET) cord, surries or Water gel and Semtex.Blackwater’s training sites offer tremendous diversification affording wide-ranging environmental acclimation for dogs and handlers. Sites include urban areas which allow for live fire situations, buildings, and mutable vehicles, vast areas with varying terrain features for conducting tracks, tactical exercises and searches, aircraft and ship simulators to conduct K-9 maritime operations. -BUSA website

And these are just to name a few. Socially among people? A war-dog? 1 war-dog = 10 pit bulls. I’m sure they’re very sociable, with their trainers! For all you P.E.T.A. members out there, I wonder how these real scents affect the dogs? I’m sure it can’t be good for them.

So if the afforementioned isn’t enough, how about being able to build anything [jails and compounds], anywhere, any time. Meet Blackwater construction:

BUSA COMPOUND MOYOCK, N.C.RAVEN

Raven Development Group (RDG) is a subsidiary of the Blackwater USA family of businesses. RDG got its start in 1997 by designing and building the world’s largest private tactical training facility; Blackwater USA. Since that time RDG has provided the highest quality construction and real estate services to a wide variety of government and private clients.RDG will travel virtually anywhere to meet its client’s needs. Whether our client needs an office complex constructed in North Carolina; an aviation hangar in Virginia or a secure barracks compound in Baghdad, RDG can do the job!- BUSA website

Blackwater is located in Moyock, N.C.- Mount Carroll, Illinois (Blackwater North) opened April 2007- and they are soon going to be in California! Coming soon to a country near you! Which brings me to my next point:

Blackwater Globalized: Greystone, ltd.

Greystone, ltd.

Blackwater Global Stability SolutionsBlackwater USA, has a proven track record of superior advisory support to government agencies and private organizations. We are in position across the globe ready to provide rapid planning consultation, rapid mobility/logistics, and security assistance support in areas devastated by war or natural disasters.

Our thousands of highly specialized global stabilization professionals form the backbone of our consulting and services support capabilities. Blackwater Global Stability Solutions approaches every challenge with focused analysis. We pride ourselves on providing solutions that are practical, economical, timely and effective.

“WHEN FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION AND HOPE IS NOT ENOUGH”- BUSA websiteHere we have a “private security company”, claiming to be small in numbers, with GLOBAL ability. An almost never mentioned company in conjunction with Blackwater is Blackwater “globalized” or Greystone, ltd. I’m only going to cover Greystone briefly because just by the dialogue off their own site you will be able to see the link to Blackwater.

GREYSTONE,LTD.Greystone is an international supplier of turn-key security solutions. Greystone focuses on providing stability to locations experiencing turmoil whether caused by armed conflict, epidemics, or natural or man-made disasters.

Greystone has the ability to quickly and efficiently deploy anywhere in the world to create a more secure environment for our customers. We take pride in our agility, speed, and ability to execute – taking into account the surrounding culture.

We scale our solutions to fit the customer’s needs. Greystone can support subtle, low-profile efforts that bolster and integrate with existing security assets, or facilitate large scale stability operations requiring large numbers of people to assist in securing a region. Our goal is to foster a positive environment that promotes civilian security allowing commerce to flourish.When possible we use indigenous options to reduce costs and bolster relationships the operating area.

It is more difficult than ever for an organization to successfully protect its interest against diverse and complicated threats in today’s grey world where the solutions to your security concerns are no longer black and white.

“Ready to deploy in support of security objectives and stabilization efforts around the world.”Upon client review and approval, Greystone conducts the assessment and compiles a findings report with recommendations and implications analysis. The entire process is usually completed within 30-60 days of initial discussion.

Greystone supports independent, active, non-descriptive, Red Cell operations against static and mobile targets. These assessments assist in determining the vulnerabilities of ongoing operations and existing capabilities in the active, as well as passive, vulnerability arena.

Greystone maintains and trains a workforce drawn from a diverse base of former special operations, defense, intelligence, and law enforcement professionals ready on a moment’s notice for global deployment.

We believe in and specialize in creating layered security packages that use personnel from numerous nationalities. Cultural sensitivity, awareness and professionalism are necessary on all levels. The synergistic advantages of combining locals, third country nationals and Expats far outweigh any additional required effort.

Greystone draws personnel from the best militaries throughout the world.

Thank you for your interest in building a safer world for everyone. Greystone LTD is not accepting any resumes or CVs at this time.– Greystone, ltd. website

Greystone is FULL! The corolation between the rhetoric of Blackwater and Greystone seems to be more than just partners, it’s the same thing.

So now you have more of a background about the supposed “security” company, let’s find out more about the people behind this “private security firm”.

A major Republican campaign contributor, he interned in the White House of President George H.W. Bush and campaigned for Pat Buchanan in 1992, finding time to intern for conservative congressman Dana Rohrabacher as well. Prince founded the mercenary firm Blackwater USA in 1997 with Gary Jackson, another former Navy SEAL.

Prince’s sister Betsy DeVos is a powerful conservative in her own right. Married to the son of Richard DeVos (Republican bankroller and co-founder of Amway), she served as chair of Michigan Republican Party in the 1990s.

Blackwater Co-Founder and CEO (1997)
Family Research Council College intern
DeVos family by sister’s marriage

ERIK CLAIMS HE HAS VISITED IRAQ 8 TIMES (SO HAS BUSH)

Edgar PrinceReligion: Born-Again Christian (now deceased)Executive summary: Prince Manufacturing (parent company of Blackwater USA until recently it became Prince Minerals)Edgar Prince developed the lighted vanity mirror and made his fortune with Prince Automotive, an auto parts and machinery manufacturer that became, after his death, part of Johnson Controls. He established the Prince Foundation, which has spread millions of dollars to such groups as Focus on the Family, Promise Keepers, and Don Wildmon’s American Family Association, and he co-founded the Family Research Council with Gary Bauer. Prince’s children, Erik Prince and Betsy DeVos, have become major players in right-wing political circles. Betsy DeVosAKA Elisabeth PrinceReligion: ChristianOccupation: ActivistParty Affiliation: Republican

Raised well over $100,000 for George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign.Gary Bauer

Religion: BaptistOccupation: Government, ActivistParty Affiliation: RepublicanA “family values” kind of guy, headed the Office of Policy Development during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, later went on to head the Family Research Council for ten years, increasing its budget from $1M to $14M. His Republican candidacy for nomination in 1999-2000 was a miserable failure. Widespread allegations exist that Bauer had an affair with a sweet young 26 year old staffer, not exactly in keeping with the whole family values thing. Nine members of his staff resigned over this scandal. Bauer has also accepted over $100K from the Moonie cult, and in seeming reciprocity, the Family Research Council has placed multiple advertisements in the Moonie-owned Washington Times. He was also Director of Government Relations for the Direct Marketing Association from 1973 to 1980 — yes, those sleazebags.

(SOURCE: http://www.nndb.com/)FROM WASHINGTON TIMES ARTICLERobert Richer: was the associate deputy director of operations of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the number two in command after the Director, Porter Goss. He took early retirement in September 2005, after only 10 months on the job, with reports that he “lacked confidence in the agency’s leadership” and had “operational issues.”A former Marine, he was with the agency for 35 years, and was the former chief of the CIA’s Near East division.He is currently employed at Blackwater USA as the Director of Intelligence. In 2007 Richer created Total Intelligence Solutions, Inc. with Matthew Devost, Co-founder and President of Terrorism Research Center, which as said by Richer “is about delivering evolved intelligence and security solutions to the world’s most demanding customers.” -WT

Blackwater has become home to a significant number of former senior CIA and Pentagon officials. Robert Richer became the firm’s Vice President of Intelligence immediately after he resigned his position as Associate Deputy Director of Operations in fall 2005. He is formerly the head of the CIA’s Near East Division – WikipediaGary JacksonBlackwater’s president, ex-Navy Seal (this is all I could find about him personally, but as you’ll see farther down, he sure has alot to say).HOW ABOUT GREYSTONE?

Nationality: United StatesExecutive summary: Coordinator for Counterterrorism, 2002-04For twenty-eight years a CIA career employee, Black was sworn in 3 December 2002 to the ambassador-level position of State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism, in part a public relations position. Among Black’s earlier duties was hunting Osama bin Laden. He told CNN in 2003, “I guarantee you, this fellow will get caught like the rest of them.”

Black’s office came under fire when it grossly underestimated the number of terrorist-caused deaths in 2003, with Richard Armitage holding a prominent press conference announcing that the U.S. was winning the war on terrorism. Congressman Henry Waxman and others disputed the report as obviously in error, stating “it appears that the decline in terrorism reported by the State Department results from manipulation of the data, not an actual decline in terrorism incidents. This manipulation may serve the administration’s political interests, but it calls into serious doubt the integrity of the report.” Waxman was correct. A revised report released on 22 June 2004 to the Administration’s great embarassment raised the number of deaths from 307 to 625.

In 2002, he famously stated: “There was before 9/11 and after 9/11. After 9/11, the gloves come off.”

Blackwater USA is ready to shift from a security role to a more “overt combat role,” essentially becoming an army for hire.-statement by Cofer Black announced in a conference in Jordan in 2006-thinkprogress.orgSo with friends and family like these who needs a license? Blackwater doesn’t even need the government, only to collect our money to pay for their “services”. So let’s talk MONEY.

Blackwater makes a killing, literally and monetarily!

BUSA Headquartes Moyock

Blackwater’s success in procuring federal contracts could well be explained by major-league contributions and family connections to the GOP. According to election records, Blackwater’s CEO and co-founder, billionaire Erik Prince, has given tens of thousands to Republicans, including more than $80,000 to the Republican National Committee the month before Bush’s victory in 2000. This past June, he gave $2,100 to Senator Rick Santorum’s re-election campaign. He has also given to House majority leader Tom DeLay and a slew of other Republican candidates, including Bush/Cheney in 2004. As a young man, Prince interned with President George H.W. Bush, though he complained at the time that he “saw a lot of things I didn’t agree with–homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act, those kind of bills. I think the Administration has been indifferent to a lot of conservative concerns.” – Jeremy Scahill/the Nation

Blackwater USA’s Gary Jackson said, “They’re paying us good money to go to places that are already ugly,” he says. “If it gets real ugly, that’s why they hired us in the first place.”

He also said, “When there is a crisis, they have a tendency to call us first.”

Government regulations state that agencies are allowed to bypass competitive bidding in cases of “unusual and compelling urgency.”

One scholar, Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution, suggests that Bush’s “coalition of the willing” would be more aptly described as the “coalition of the billing.”- Virginian-Pilot

“The trend is growth,” says Daniel Nelson, the former professor at the Pentagon’s Marshall Center. “This current president and administration have — in part because of September 11, but also because of their fundamental ideology — taken off constraints that somewhat limited the prior administration.” According to some estimates, private military companies will double their business by the end of the decade, to $200 billion a year. – Barry Yeoman/MotherJones Mag.

2006, according to an online government database, Blackwater alone has won $505 million in publicly identifiable federal contracts since 2000. About 2/3 of that amount was in no-bid contracts.

These types of military companies in business worldwide, secure an estimated $100 billion each year!

2003, Blackwater USA won a $35 million contract for their part in training our sailors each year in “force protection.”

Virginia Beach police and sheriff’s deputies train exclusively at Blackwater, where the city pays the company $450,000 for the full-time use of a firing range. The city’s SWAT team travels to Moyock once a week.- Virginian-Pilot

And the bills passed to us because of our governments “frat-boy mentality” keep on rising. Don’t forget Katrina now. In an interview by Alan Maass, Jeremy Scahill had a few things to say on the subject of Blackwater’s role in Katrina:

Maass: YOU WERE probably the first journalist to discover that Blackwater was on the scene in New Orleans, in the days right after Hurricane Katrina struck. How did you come across them?Scahill:BLACKWATER’S MEN actually beat the federal government, FEMA, the Red Cross and all these organizations to the hurricane zone.

In fact, I interviewed Cofer Black–the former head of counterterrorism at the CIA, and now one of the top people at Blackwater–at a mercenary conference, and he told me that they sent a helicopter and a bunch of their guys down there without any contracts at first. Clearly, they saw this as an opportunity to really cash in on the disaster of Katrina.

Within days of their guys deploying down there, Blackwater was handed a very lucrative $409,000 contract–literally to guard a morgue in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fourteen guys, four vehicles, for 22 days–and they were paid $409,000.That contract, which was not open to public bids, was awarded to Blackwater, and it would kick off a contract spree that in just four months would amount to over $30 million for Blackwater. They were billing the federal government some$950 per day per man in the hurricane zone, raking in at one point from the government, over $240,000 a day. I had Blackwater men who told me that they were getting paid $350 a day, plus a modest per diem. So that’s $600 that Blackwater had to play with, above what they were paying their guys.MAASS: HOW DOES the tens of millions that Blackwater is making compare to what is being spent in New Orleans on school reconstruction or affordable housing?Scahill: WE REALLY don’t know how much Blackwater has been paid. We know that they were paid

$30 million for the first four months. Well, now we’re nearing the first year anniversary of the hurricane, and we don’t have the updated amount of money that they’ve been paid. But this is just is just one company. There are scores of private security companies on contract with the federal government. This other company, DynCorp, is itching to get more of the action, offering their guards at $700 per day.There’s very little irony in all that, given that we’re talking about a place that has been utterly devastated, and people are being told that we don’t have the resources to rebuild their homes, and they’re going to have to live somewhere else in the country. Yet they have all the money in the world to pour into guns and mercenaries. – counterpunchGary Jackson testified before Congress, trying to get contracts from Homeland Security to train Border Patrol agents, saying Blackwater understands “the value of government one-stop shopping.” So, in so many words, he likened his company to the governments “para-mercenary/military 7-11!”

Good ol’ Obama said, in regards to the obscene amount of money paid to Blackwater for their role in Katrina, “It strikes me….that that may not be the best use of money.” No kidding Captain Obvious! And this guy is running for president?

Blackwater USA is one of five companies picked by the DOD Counter-Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office in a a five-year contract for equipment, material and services in support of counter-narcoterrorism activities. The contract is worth up to $15 billion. -Wikipedia

In 2003, Blackwater landed its first truly high-profile contract: guarding Ambassador L. Paul Bremer in Iraq, at the cost of $21 million in 11 months. Since June 2004, Blackwater has been paid more than $320 million out of a $1 billion, five-year State Department budget for the Worldwide Personal Protective Service, which protects U.S. officials and some foreign officials in conflict zones. In 2006, Blackwater won the remunerative contract to build and protect the U.S. embassy in Iraq, which is the largest American embassy in the world.- Wikipedia

Given the statistics on military privatization, president Gary Jackson is in for a very strong (and long) decade.

And in finale to the money portion of this article, another protected U.S. Ambassadope to Iraq, Ryan Crocker said to the Senate: “There is simply no way at all that the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security could ever have enough full-time personnel to staff the security function in Iraq. There is no alternative except through contracts.”

More to this section: See the link below to a letter written by Rep.Waxman to Rumsfeld, the secrecy goes way beyond comprehension!

My Reality: Blackwater USA is a “private army.” – “This is a basically new phenomenon: corporatized private military services doing the front-line work soldiers used to do,” said Peter W. Singer, a national security fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington who has written the book, “Corporate Warriors”(Cornell University Press, 2003)Troops rely on private contractors to maintain 28% of all weapons systems and the bushites want to increase that number to 50%.

“There are some weapons systems that the U.S. military forces do not have the capability to do their own maintenance on,” says David Young, a deputy commander at the Defense Contract Management Agency. “When you take these weapons systems into a combat zone, is contract support still reliable, expecially if you are facing weapons of mass destruction? It’s a source of worry when you’re talking about chemical or biological weapons.”

MPRI (Military Professional Resources Inc.) says it can call on 12,500 vets with expertise in military operations ranging from nuclear operations to submarine attacks! The company’s CEO is retired General Carl Vuono, Army chief of staff during the 1st Gulf war and the invasion of Panama. Colin Powell described the General as “one of my dearest friends.” And these guys barely compete with Blackwater!

Daniel Nelson, a former Marshall Center professor said, “Someone at MPRI opens the Defense Dept. phone book and says, ‘Oh, so-and-so, I served with him,'” says Nelson. “He picks up the phone: ‘ Joe, remember me? I’m working with MPRI now. Hey, listen, bud, we have a real opportunity to go to Equatorial Guinea.’ Nothing more complex than that. It is a relationship based on years of camaraderie.”

I think Erik Prince has more camaraderie than this. He doesn’t have to call the DOD he calls the White House.

As far as contracts go with the DOD, Blackwater works around that by secretly subverting the system by working for Haliburton and the like. Check out this link to a letter written by Waxman to Rumsfeld, it will blow your mind: click here you read the document you will see how they have subverted our system, causing the reason for the “enormous costs” of this “war” and how we are paying for it and have been long before this war! More proof of the money they are cleaning us out of, spreading the gaps wider by overbilling and shilling us!Blackwater has been proven to have signed contracts with the Pentagon, the State Department, the UN, the OSCE, the African Union and even some NGO’s and the Red Cross.Even with all this their hardware speaks for itself in my book. They’re not an army all right….they’re better than ANY army! Better equipment, better training, and governed by no master except themselves.

Their Myth: Blackwater is a team of military and law enforcement veterans and other motivated, capable Americans who protect diplomats, provide training, and offer logistic services. Blackwater only conducts defensive missions and currently has no Department of Defense contracts in Iraq.- Blackwater USA websiteIn the Alan Maass interview Jeremy Scahill said, “I was just in Washington, meeting with some congresspeople, and one member of Congress told me that she’s not even allowed to see any of the contracts in general, but when she is, she has to go into a padded room. She’s not allowed to bring in any kind of writing equipment or paper, and she’s not allowed to say what she saw in that room after she’s viewed the contracts.“

My Reality: Blackwater has well over 120,000 contractors deployed in Iraq.Their Myth:Blackwater has approximately between one and two thousand contractors deployed worldwide. The 100,000 figure is an estimate of the total number of contractors in Iraq for all companies, including dish washers, food servers, drivers etc., the majority of which are Iraqi nationals.- Blackwater USA website

Do I even have to comment? PLEASE! Yeah, dishwashers and cooks, to hear them tell it they’re just running a restaurant over there.

BUSA graph

My Reality: Most of Blackwater’s work with the U.S.Government is based on “no-bid” contracts that rely on political connections.- Hmmm. Where do I start? Oh yeah, I already did. MOST OF THE AFFOREMENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE STATES THE CONTRARY! Here is an excerpt from an article in Mother Jones Magazine:DynCorp, a Virginia-based military and technology company that receives more than 96 percent of its $2 billion in annual revenues from the federal government, wrote more than a dozen checks to the Republican National Committee over the past three years and made dozens of other contributions to key Capitol Hill lawmakers on committees that deal with defense issues.The firms also maintain platoons of Washington lobbyists to help keep government contracts headed their way. In 2001, according to the most recent federal disclosure forms, 10 private military companies spent more than $32 million on lobbying. DynCorp retained two lobbying firms that year to successfully block a bill that would have forced federal agencies to justify private contracts on cost-saving grounds. MPRI’s parent company, L-3 Communications, had more than a dozen lobbyists working on its behalf, including Linda Daschle, wife of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. Last year L-3 won $1.7 billion in Defense Department contracts.

The campaign cash and personal connections give private military companies an unusual degree of influence, even by Washington standards. In at least one case, a company has successfully shifted U.S. foreign policy to bolster its bottom line. In 1998, the government of Equatorial Guinea asked MPRI to evaluate its defense systems, particularly its need for a coast guard to protect its oil reserves. To do so, MPRI needed a license from the U.S. State Department. But the Clinton administration flatly rejected the company’s request, citing the West African nation’s egregious record of torturing and murdering political dissidents.

MPRI launched a full-scale blitz to overturn the decision, quietly dispatching company officials to work the hallways of the Pentagon, State Department, and Capitol. “This is the kind of lobbying that’s surgically executed,” says Rep. Schakowsky. “This is not something they want a wide discussion on in Congress.” MPRI’s executives argued that the United States should be engaging Equatorial Guinea, both to improve its record on human rights and to ensure access to its oil reserves. It didn’t hurt that the company could effectively pull rank, citing its extensive military experience. “Remember, these are high-level four-star generals, who can really make an argument that this is consistent with foreign policy,” says Deborah Avant, an international-affairs expert at George Washington University.

So what makes Blackwater any different? I think this kind of thing goes on more so with Prince’s company due to even better connections and more money than God!

Their Myth: Every one of our contracts was based on Blackwater’s merits and capability to do the job. No-bid contracts result from urgent and compelling needs of the U.S. Government; not political connections. The few contracts that were not bid account for only a few percent of our revenue—more than 90% of our contracts, and our revenue, came via competitive bidding.- Blackwater USA websiteWell I guess I stand corrected. (laughter)

My Reality: Blackwater contractors earn much more money than members of the U.S. Armed Forces.- In an article in 2006 by Bill Sizemore he stated:Private military contractors can earn substantially more money than members of the armed services.

A Government Accountability Office study last year found that contractors were earning $12,000 to $13,000 a month working on security convoys in Iraq and as much as $33,000 a month guarding high-ranking government officials.

That compares to $4,670 in monthly base pay and housing allowance earned by a typical Navy SEAL with 10 years of experience – the sort of person private military companies like to hire.

“The Navy will never compete financially with the civilian sector in sheer monetary terms,” said Lt. Taylor Clark, a spokesman for the Naval Special Warfare Command. But Clark said an assortment of extra incentives, including re-enlistment bonuses up to $90,000, have helped the Navy keep SEALs in uniform.- Virginian-Pilot

Military officials say assignments can pay from a few hundred dollars to as much as $1,000 a day. I know our guys doing the groundwork over there don’t make anywhere near this, since most of them are fresh out of bootcamp now.

Security contractors can also buy a $100,000 life insurance policy through the Uniformed Services Benefit Association that specializes in insurance for military personnel. Blackwater covers $361 of its contractors’ first annual premium.

Their Myth: Contrary to numerous media reports, no Blackwater contractor is paid $1,000 per day. Depending on engagement, contractors are paid between $450 and $650 per day. Blackwater contractors work temporarily and are paid only for the days they work, unlike members of the U.S. military who are paid a salary. Also unlike military members who enjoy a well deserved and rich benefits package, Blackwater security professionals receive only pay, no benefits. After paying federal taxes, including Social Security matching, and covering health care and retirement payments, private contractors’ take-home pay is often less than the full compensation package many U.S. servicemen earn when salary and benefits are included.- Blackwater USA website

Blackwater world

My Reality: Blackwater contractors are unaccountable under U.S. and International laws.- The Geneva Convention bans the use of mercs, so of course these companies don’t want to be known as “guns for hire.” Here is an excerpt from an article in the Mother Jones Magazine:When the companies do screw up, however, their status as private entities often shields them — and the government — from public scrutiny. In 2001, an Alabama-based firm called Aviation Development Corp. that provided reconnaissance for the CIA in South America misidentified an errant plane as possibly belonging to cocaine traffickers. Based on the company’s information, the Peruvian air force shot down the aircraft, killing a U.S. missionary and her seven-month-old daughter. Afterward, when members of Congress tried to investigate, the State Department and the CIA refused to provide any information, citing privacy concerns. “We can’t talk about it,” administration officials told Congress, according to a source familiar with the incident. “It’s a private entity. Call the company.”The lack of oversight alarms some members of Congress. “Under a shroud of secrecy, the United States is carrying out military missions with people who don’t have the same level of accountability,” says Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a leading congressional critic of privatized war. “We have individuals who are not obligated to follow orders or follow the Military Code of Conduct. Their main obligation is to their employer, not to their country.” -Barry Yeoman

When Marine Col. Thomas X. Hammes served in Iraq in 2004 he ran into Blackwater executing a “mission”. “I was in an Iraqi army civilian vehicle at the time so we were treated as Iraqis” by the Blackwater contractors, Hammes said in an e-mail interview. “… The very act of guarding a principal – forcing his convoy through traffic, keeping all Iraqis away from the vehicle – irritated the Iraqis.” “The Iraqis perceived the armed contractors as being above the law,” he said. “They felt if a U.S. soldier or Marine did something wrong, he might eventually be held accountable for it. They believed contractors would simply fly out of the country…. They don’t seem to be held responsible by any authority.”

In an article written by BILL SIZEMORE AND JOANNE KIMBERLIN:Unlike military personnel, dozens of whom have been charged with crimes in Iraq, private contractors are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Chris Taylor, a Blackwater vice president, said the company doesn’t want its workers subjected to the military justice system because of possible “institutional biases” against contractors.

Under an order issued by Bremer that remains in effect, contractors are also generally immune from Iraqi law for acts performed while carrying out their jobs. Contractors might or might not be covered by civilian U.S. law, depending on which agencies they work for.

According to the Raleigh News & Observer, which reviewed voluntary reports filed with the government during a nine-month period in 2004-05, contractors fired into 61 Iraqi civilian vehicles.- The Virginian-Pilot

Accountable? To themselves.

EXCERPT FROM “ONLY THE JAILERS ARE SAFE”Published: December 20, 2006nytimes

On Monday, Michael Moss wrote about a U.S. contractor who was swept up in a military raid and dumped into a system where everyone is presumed guilty and denied any chance to prove otherwise.

Donald Vance, a 29-year-old Navy veteran from Chicago, was a whistle-blower who prompted the raid by tipping off the F.B.I. to suspicious activity at the company where he worked, including possible weapons trafficking. He was arrested and held for 97 days — shackled and blindfolded, prevented from sleeping by blaring music and round-the-clock lights. In other words, he was subjected to the same mistreatment that thousands of non-Americans have been subjected to since the 2003 invasion.

Even after the military learned who Mr. Vance was, they continued to hold him in these abusive conditions for weeks more. He was not allowed to defend himself at the Potemkin hearing held to justify his detention. And that was special treatment. As an American citizen, he was at least allowed to attend his hearing. An Iraqi, or an Afghani, or any other foreigner, would have been barred from the room.

Yesterday, David Johnston reported that nearly 20 cases in which civilian contractors were accused of abusing detainees have been sent to the Justice Department. So far, the record is perfect: not a single indictment.

Their Myth: Blackwater is accountable under the U.S. Constitution, international treaties, U.S. regulations, defense trade controls acts and numerous U.S. statutes.Specifically, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) applies to contractors accompanying the total force and the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) creates jurisdiction for federal court trials. Any wrongdoing is covered under statutes such as the War Crimes Act, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, the Anti-Torture Statute, the Defense Base Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and many other domestic and international regulations. Blackwater advocates stricter enforcement of existing laws.-Blackwater USA website

Sure they are. I think with all the current events we know about, they most certainly are not accountable to anyone!

My Reality: It is “wrong” to have contractors working with the U.S. military.- Yes, it is unfortunate for our guys in the military to have to resort to using these mercs in the field. To have to look at the “above the military” hardware, hear about the mercs salaries, which far exceed their own, and the obvious “cowboy mentality” displayed, without accountability, that they [U.S. Military] themselves are accountable for, will make a huge dent in the soldiers’ morale. SO YES IT IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS!Their Myth: Blackwater professionals are former servicemen and law enforcement personnel who continue to serve their country with duty and honor, selflessly placing their lives at risk to serve at the behest of the United States Government. Thirty of Blackwater’s contractors have been killed. No one who Blackwater has protected has ever been killed or seriously injured.-Blackwater USA websiteThey can’t even refute the statement that it is wrong! Instead they just throw more of their propaganda at you claiming statements that they won’t even release the statistics for. “At the behest of the United States Government?” I thought they had no government contracts in Iraq. They are for-profit so there is no voluntary “behest of the government”, it’s all under contract, seen or unseen.

My Reality: Blackwater’s CEO is a “Christian Supremacist.”Their Myth: Blackwater’s founder and CEO is a Roman Catholic. His views, which are hardly radical, are shared by over 1 billion Catholics worldwide. Blackwater employs people of many different religious beliefs.- Blackwater USA website

My Reality: Blackwater’s work in executing military coups world wide in dangerous places is it’s core competency.- Here is another excerpt from an article in Mother Jones Magazine by Barry Yeoman:The United States has a history of dispatching private military companies to handle the dirtiest foreign assignments. The Pentagon quietly hired for-profit firms to train Vietnamese troops before America officially entered the war, and the CIA secretly used private companies to transport weapons to the Nicaraguan contras during the 1980s after Congress had cut off aid. But as the Bush administration replaces record numbers of soldiers with contractors, it creates more opportunities for private firms to carry out clandestine operations banned by Congress or unpopular with the public. “We can see some merit in using an outside contractor,” Charles Snyder, deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, recently told reporters, “because then we’re not using U.S. uniforms and bodies.” Like the Clinton administration, the Bush administration is relying heavily on private military companies to wage the war on drugs in South America. Federal law bans U.S. soldiers from participating in Colombia’s war against left-wing rebels and from training army units with ties to right-wing paramilitaries infamous for torture and political killings. There are no such restrictions on for-profit companies, though, and since the late 1990s, the United States has paid private military companies an estimated $1.2 billion, both to eradicate coca crops and to help the Colombian army put down rebels who use the drug trade to finance their insurgency. -MotherJones

Sounds to me like the government only uses Blackwater and the like for these types of operations. Blackwater wasn’t a business in the spotlight before its supposed inception in 1997; all of the guys who run it were in all of these situations….good practice, no?

Their Myth: Blackwater’s core competency is in training military and law enforcement personnel. Our training facility in Moyock, NC existed long before the war in Iraq and has trained more than 100,000 military and law enforcement professionals since its inception.- Blackwater USA websiteMore like training their mercs in ways to deal with law enforcement and our military, in case of an uprising!My Reality: Blackwater lures people away from serving in the U.S.Military- “It’s not true. It’s an urban legend that’s been created by the media,” said Chris Taylor, a Blackwater vice president. “People leave the military for a wide variety of reasons. We’re not interested in luring people away from the military.”

As Blackwater’s Gary Jackson acknowledged in the Guardian, “If they are going to outsource tasks that were once held by active-duty military and are now using private contractors, those guys [on active duty] are looking and asking, ‘Where is the money?'”

In an article by Bill Sizemore:

Michael McKenna, president of International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 412, said at least half a dozen Norfolk police officers have departed for Blackwater in the past two to three years. Most had 10 or more years on the force.

“They can offer them a whole lot more money,” McKenna said. “I’m sorry to see them go, but I can’t blame them when Norfolk’s paying them $30,000 a year. I think I’d go too.”

Spokesmen for the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake police departments said they also have lost officers to Blackwater.

The exodus extends across the country. Sheriff Elaine Savage of Bonner County, Idah o, said she has lost five experienced deputies to Blackwater and one of its competitors, DynCorp International, in the past two years. All five turned up in Iraq.

“They call it the Bonner County substation,” Savage said.

With her department’s typical salary of $43,000 a year, she can’t compete.

“They’re looking out for their families, but it makes it tough for me,” she said. “I have a tremendous investment in these guys, and it just walks away for $180,000 a year.”- The Virginian-Pilot

“We scour the ends of the earth to find professionals — the Chilean commandos are very, very professional and they fit within the Blackwater system,” Gary Jackson, the president of Blackwater USA, told the Guardian.

To meet the rising demand, the companies are offering yearly salaries ranging from $100,000 to nearly $200,000 to entice senior military Special Operations forces to switch careers. Assignments are paying from a few hundred dollars to as much as $1,000 a day, military officials said. – New York Times

Sheriff Susan Johnson of Currituck County, N.C., where the entrance to Blackwater is situated, said several of her deputies had been lured away by the company to work overseas.

”It’s tough to keep them when they can earn as much in one month there as they can in a year here,” Sheriff Johnson said.-New York Times

This “war” is not costing us for our military, it’s costing us our military! The grass is always greener……and in this case it’s green with money.

Their Myth: Blackwater does not recruit active duty military personnel. Blackwater encourages servicemen to remain in the U.S. Armed Forces. A recent GAO report found that private security companies such as Blackwater have had no measurable impact on military retention.- Blackwater USA websiteAgain I stand corrected. (more laughter)

My Reality: Tension is high and coordination is poor between military forces and Blackwater professionals deployed throughout the world.- I think it would be obvious to anyone who is half-heartedly paying attention to the world around them!Their Myth: Blackwater professionals, most of whom formerly served in the U.S. military, often serve in support of the U.S. military. Coordination between private security contractors and the military has greatly improved thanks to the U.S. Regional Cooperation Offices.- Blackwater USA websiteNot to them, I guess.

Blackwater USA

A couple more “facts” about Blackwater USAOn any given day, as many as one thousand members of law enforcement from across the nation as well as members of every branch of the armed forces are training at our facility to better protect Americans at home and abroad.- Blackwater USA websiteI guess our law enforcement and military training isn’t good enough anymore.

Blackwater is not a “mercenary army.” We are a contractor for the U.S. Government that focuses on training and protection, not war fighting. All of our contractors are providing protection for people we are assigned to by the U.S. Government.-Blackwater USA website

Mercenary – a person hired to fight for another country than their own. They’re not mercenaries, they’re security guards.(even more laughter)The historic use of private sector expertise in support of the military in the U.S. goes back to the Revolutionary War.- Blackwater USA website

Mercs then, mercs now!

Blackwater lives its core values of excellence, efficiency, execution, and teamwork. In doing this, we have become the most responsive, cost-effective means of affecting the strategic balance in support of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere.– Blackwater USA website

Cost-effective compared to what, Haliburton? If they’re cost effective I’d hate to see what’s not! And there’s the democracy everywhere statement again. It’s all over their site. Who are they trying to convince? It sure as hell isn’t me! While we are on the subject of “facts” about Blackwater, here is a real one:

BOY SCOUTSHeaps of brass shell casings jingle underfoot on Blackwater’s compound, remants of the countless rounds fired there. To clean them up, the company says it allows local Boy Scout troops onto the compound, where they collect the shells, turn them in for recycling and keep the proceeds. – The Virginian-Pilot

How long before they start using them as target practice?

So I leave it up to you to decide whether we should be taxed for the “war” to pay mercs like these. So I conclude this section with two quotes, one from a Blackwater merc and one from Jeremy Scahill during the interview with Alan Maass:

BUSA “Katrina Mission”

“This is a trend. You’re going to see a lot more guys like us in these situations.”-Blackwater merc commenting on Katrina

MAASS: CAN YOU talk how contracts like these are part of the drive toward privatization and the neoliberal agenda?Scahill: THIS BECOMES very frightening on a number of levels.

On the one hand, you have this happening across the board. For example, this administration is attacking the public school system–de-funding it, and putting resources in the hands of fundamentalist Christian schools instead of bolstering the public school system. You see the Wal-Martization of U.S. society.

And now you have contractors being used all over Iraq and Afghanistan. They are alleged to have been involved in the torture at Abu Ghraib. They have acted with impunity. Not a single contractor has been prosecuted for any crimes committed in Iraq.

So you’re left with one of two conclusions. Either they haven’t committed any crimes, which I think we have the evidence to show isn’t the case. Or no one’s paying attention to accountability issues right now.

Conclusion: A Fact and a Fiction

Bill Sizemore stated in an article in The Virginian-Pilot in 2006:

In the Philippines, Blackwater President Gary Jackson said, the company has acquired about 25 acres at Subic Bay and will have access to thousands of acres of adjacent jungle for conducting jungle environment survival training, known by the acronym JEST.

Blackwater USA, one of the largest private military contractors in the world, has proposed “Blackwater West” to be built in a valley just north of the small town of Potrero, in East San Diego County. The facility will comprise 824 acres, and includes a portion of the Cleveland National Forest. The valley is one of a chain of valleys starting in Descanso, part of the original two-million acre preserve originally designated by Teddy Roosevelt. Since then, it has been reduced to 650K acres, and swiss-cheesed with private ownership. This valley has been used as a chicken ranch.

The proposed boot camp will substantially develop the property and utilize it for target practice using pistols and carbines, a two-mile race track for emergency vehicle training, an 18,000 sqft armory (almost 1/2 acre of guns and ammo,) dormitories, mess hall, etc. The intention is to service 15,000 trainees each year (300 per week) with 60 staff in residence on site.

Authors Bio: SNIFF..SNIFF..SMELL THAT? IT’S THE BILL OF RIGHTS BURNING!! I’m 32 years young. Religion is BELIEF WITHOUT THOUGHT! I am just me, I hate labels!! Labels are for governments and people of the like, so they know who to persecute!! I belong to no church or religious affiliation. We are in the “Age of Lies” and I need no man behind a pulpit OR THE WHITE HOUSE to tell me how to behave or believe. God is not a genie there to grant your every wish, nor do we live in a theocracy as some would have you think! “Govern Yourself” would be my motto. I have 3 wonderful children 6, 4, and 2. My beautiful wife (karmarox) of 5 years is an accomplished author/editor who published articles in the St.Petersburg Times. I was raised paleoconservative/evangelical (so I’m proof upbringing doesn’t dictate who you are). I went to a private college prep school. I’m an artist(dadaism), carpenter/contractor, soon to be helicopter pilot. Trying to protest without getting tasered!! LET THE EMPIRE BE REVEALED!! P.S. I’VE BEEN WHAT I AM MY WHOLE LIFE!! I AM NO FLIP-FLOPPER BECAUSE OF THIS REGIME!! IN THE WORDS OF A SAILOR, “I AM WHAT I AM AND THAT’S ALL THAT I AM”!